Hey y’all!
What an action-packed week it’s been! Let’s start from the beginning shall we?
This week in school, we had pet-day. Which would be even more exciting if we were allowed to bring cats or dogs, but alas we aren’t. So our visitors included a hamster named Gary, two parakeets and a hedgehog named Mary. I loved pet day, and wish it could be every day!
That following day, we went on a “field trip” to El Cerro, which means “the hill” (located right behind the school). Every year we go to the hill in search of living and non-living things. We used our observation skills to explore the cerro and we discuss the impact that the litter around the hill will have on the environment. It was a great, but quite an exhausting day and the kids couldn’t handle all of the excitement.
After one normal day, we got off track again for School Days. I’ll be honest in saying that I am not a fan of these days –at least for the younger kids. Apparently, most private Chilean schools have these days where each kid is assigned to a “house” ( yes, like Harry Potter but instead of Slytherin or Hufflepuff, it’s red, yellow, blue and green). The houses compete by playing games which are organized by the seniors. There is also a big parade that everyone participates in and we all have to come dressed in a specific costume. It sort of feels like an out-of-whack Halloween. In my experience with School Days, I find they’re not suited for the little ones who spend most of the day waiting in line of 300 other kids to play a game. I also find the parade to be a little random, and no one really knows what’s going on most of the time. Although its tradition, I feel we could be using the time more wisely. But what do I know? Rant over.
I was elated to make it to the weekend, which would be a long one thanks to our rapist and murdering friend Columbus. I decided I’d use my time wisely and head to Isla Negra to visit the final of the 3 Pablo Neruda houses for the day. I’d been wanting to get there for a while now, but never made the time. I’m so happy that I went because I had one of the best days I’ve had in a while.
This was my favorite of Neruda’s eclectic homes. I did find however, that the ocean was what made it so charming. If it didn’t have a spectacular view of the ocean, I’d be much less impressed. Nonetheless, Neruda was a strange guy –not as strange as Mr. Dalí, but still strange. After my tour, I bought a few beers and an empanada and headed down to the beach. I spent the rest of the afternoon laying on the beach, reading a good book and feeding the stray dogs Doritos.
^^Neruda and his wife are buried here
The dogs I befriended in Isla Negra:
^^ Got to hang out with Marie and her beautiful boy Lucas
Laughable Moments:
I walked by some girls counting “1 tomate, 2 tomate, 3 tomate…” and realized it was their version of “1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi…"
We planted plants this week in first grade. Each table got a different type of seed, one being wheat. Except for the kids thought they were growing weed instead of wheat. We had to put a stop to that one real fast…
Two of my students wanted to show me a picture but Dani was trying to address the class so I quickly told them to “sit! sit!” and they immediately sat, right at my feet, on the floor.
I treated myself to a nice Mexican lunch and wanted some sour cream for my fajita, I don’t know why but I always forget the word for sour cream, so I wasn’t all that surprised when the waiter brought me a small dish of heavy cream, like for coffee…
^^I met a woman who makes a living by knitting Barbie clothes
^^ León takes it upon himself to be my personal trainer each and every time I stretch
^^ These two graduates are rebelling
